Obadiah 1

1 The vision of Obadiah; what the Lord said about Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, a messenger has been sent among the nations; Rise up, let us rise against Edom in battle!

Thus said the Lord Jehovah to Edom, A report we have heard from Jehovah, And an ambassador among nations was sent, 'Rise, yea, let us rise against her for battle.'

2 I will make you small among the nations, and despised by all!

Lo, little I have made thee among nations, Despised [art] thou exceedingly.

3 Your proud heart has misled you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, you who build on high your dwelling. You say to yourselves, “Who can bring me down to earth?”

The pride of thy heart hath lifted thee up, O dweller in clifts of a rock, (A high place [is] his habitation, He is saying in his heart, 'Who doth bring me down [to] earth?')

4 Though you build high as the eagle, though between the stars you set your nest, from there will I bring you down, says the Lord.

If thou dost go up high as an eagle, And if between stars thou dost set thy nest, From thence I bring thee down, An affirmation of Jehovah.

5 If thieves had come to you, marauders by night would they not have stolen only as much as they needed? If grape-gatherers had come to you would they not have left some gleanings?

If thieves have come in to thee, If spoilers of the night, How hast thou been cut off! Do they not steal their sufficiency? If gatherers have come in to thee, Do they not leave gleanings?

6 Descendents of Esau, all your treasures are looted.

How hath Esau been searched out! Flowed out have his hidden things,

7 To your border they have driven you, all your allies have betrayed you. Your avowed friends have overpowered you, they have set a trap for you. Where is your wisdom now?

Unto the border sent thee have all thine allies, Forgotten thee, prevailed over thee, have thy friends, Thy bread they make a snare under thee, There is no understanding in him!

8 The Lord says: On that day, I will destroy the wise of Edom, drive wisdom out of Mount Esau.

Is it not in that day — an affirmation of Jehovah, That I have destroyed the wise out of Edom, And understanding out of the mount of Esau?

9 Your warriors will be filled with terror, Teman, none will be left alive on Mount Esau.

And broken down have been thy mighty ones, O Teman, So that every one of the mount of Esau is cut off.

10 Because of the violence done to your relatives, the people of Jacob, shame covers you, you are cut off forever.

For slaughter, for violence [to] thy brother Jacob, Cover thee doth shame, And thou hast been cut off — to the age.

11 In the day when you stood aloof, in the day when strangers carried away their wealth, and strangers entered into their gates, and over Jerusalem cast lots, you were as one of those strangers.

In the day of thy standing over-against, In the day of strangers taking captive his force, And foreigners have entered his gates, And for Jerusalem have cast a lot, Even thou [art] as one of them!

12 You should not have gloated over your relatives, in the day of their misfortune. You should not have exulted over the land of Judah in the day of their destruction. You should not have laughed loudly at their distress.

And — thou dost not look on the day of thy brother, On the day of his alienation, Nor dost thou rejoice over sons of Judah, In the day of their destruction, Nor make great thy mouth in a day of distress.

13 You should not have entered in at the gate of my people in the day of their disaster. You should not have gloated over their calamity, in the day of their disaster, nor stretched out your hand after their wealth in the day of their disaster,

Nor come into a gate of My people in a day of their calamity, Nor look, even thou, on its misfortune in a day of its calamity, Nor send forth against its force in a day of its calamity,

14 nor stood at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor should you have betrayed their refugees in the day of distress.

Nor stand by the breach to cut off its escaped, Nor deliver up its remnant in a day of distress.

15 Near at hand is the Lord’s day for all the nations. As you have done so will it be done to you. Your deeds will come back on your own head.

For near [is] the day of Jehovah, on all the nations, As thou hast done, it is done to thee, Thy deed doth turn back on thine own head.

16 As you have drunk upon my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink in turn; They will drink deep and be as though they had not been.

For — as ye have drunk on My holy mount, Drink do all the nations continually, And they have drunk and have swallowed, And they have been as they have not been.

17 But on Mount Zion some will escape, it will be again holy, and those of the house of Jacob will again enter into their possessions.

And in mount Zion there is an escape, And it hath been holy, And the house of Jacob have possessed their possessions.

18 For the house of Jacob will be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau will become stubble. They will kindle and devour it. Not even one of the house of Esau will escape, for the Lord has spoken.

And the house of Jacob hath been a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame, And the house of Esau for stubble, And they have burned among them, And they have consumed them, And there is not a remnant to the house of Esau, For Jehovah hath spoken.

19 They will possess the Negeb and Mount Esau, and the Shephelah of the Philistines. They will possess the territory of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

And they have possessed the south with the mount of Esau, And the low country with the Philistines, And they have possessed the field of Ephraim, And the field of Samaria, And Benjamin with Gilead.

20 The exiles of Israel will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negreb.

And the removed of this force of the sons of Israel, That [is with] the Canaanites unto Zarephat, And the removed of Jerusalem that [is] with the Sepharad, Possess the cities of the south.

21 The rescued will come up on Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom will belong to the Lord.

And gone up have saviours on mount Zion, To judge the mount of Esau, And the kingdom hath been to Jehovah!'